Homecomings
by ParkerStreet
Summary: A crossover story set during Season 11 of SVU with a new spin on how Alex might make her return to NYC and to Olivia. Abbie Carmichael and Serena Southerlyn make appearances as well. This is my first attempt at publishing. Reviews welcome!


**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters from Law & Order or Law & Order SVU, and will not profit from this story. They belong to NBC.

**Chapter 1:**

It was a rare occurrence for Olivia Benson to be bored, even rarer that she be bored at work. But today was that day. Today was the day that marked and entire week since a new case had broken. And while that should potentially mean something positive for her and the rest of the SVU team, she was bored of having nothing but paperwork to occupy her time.

Seated at her desk, she glanced menacingly at the stack of folders waiting for her review, and then to her planner hoping it would provide her with some excuse to run any kind of errand. She refused to stoop to the level of her male partners and surf the internet for meaningless information, Elliot checking baseball stats, Munch absorbed in the online issue of the _Onion_, and what Fin was reading she couldn't see, but he was clearly amused. Rolling her eyes, she supposed it couldn't hurt to check her personal email, not that the person she hoped would write had the means to do so from Africa.

Alex had departed from her life yet again, only this time with promises to keep in touch and actually call when she was in New York, for she was determined to keep the city as a base. But just as Olivia expected, there was no email. She couldn't decide whether to be hurt, worried, or proud that Alex was doing something so important. There had always been a constant battle with her feelings where Alex Cabot was concerned and while she might never admit some of those feelings even to herself, she missed Alex as her friend and ADA. Serena Southerlyn made a great prosecutor, and Olivia was grateful that the DA's office had rectified the mistake of firing her, but having her now didn't compare to seeing Alex and talking to Alex on a daily basis. She was slowly coming to accept that the sound of heels against the floor, as she was hearing now, would lead to the appearance of a different blond that the one she wanted so desperately it seemed, to see.

"Please tell me your looking at that because a baseball player committed a sex crime," the frustration in Serena's voice evident as she leaned down to peer over Elliot's shoulder.

"Wishing for a sex crime, Serena?" he turned to face her with a look of mock shock. "I'm not sure how to feel about that."

"You know what I mean Elliot or you wouldn't be looking at that ," she retorted, giving him a slap to the shoulder and moving to slide one of the visitors' chairs closer to the two detectives.

"Please tell me you have a reason for me to leave this precinct," Olivia leaned back in her chair and spun slightly in the direction of the young attorney.

"No such luck, Liv. I came by here hoping you had something for me. This has been an extremely slow week. I'm actually caught up, on the interesting stuff anyway. " Serena leaned back in the chair, crossed legs clad in carefully tailored dress pants, and picked up the top file perched on Olivia's desk.

"You're bored with paperwork too, aren't you?" Serena's question received a groan of agreement from all of the detectives seated within ear shot. "Oh well, at least Alex gets in shortly. We can plan something to welcome her back."

Olivia stared at her ADA, hoping the shock and hurt weren't evident to the young attorney and to her partner who had moved his eyes from the computer at the mention of Alex.

"What do you mean 'Alex gets in shortly'?" she asked, cringing at the weak sound of her voice.

"Just what her text said, Liv," Serena replied pulling her Blackberry from the pocket of her suit jacket. "On a plane headed for NYC. Call when I get there," Serena read and showed the screen to the confused detective, "She sent it to you too. Your name is right there."

"Let me see that," Olivia made a grab for the phone. Sure enough, here name was there at the bottom of the screen along with a 'Liz' who she could hopefully assume was Liz Donelly. Handing the device back to Serena, she absently reached for her own phone to check for the text she never heard come through.

"Well, you're right. Here it is," she said, attempting to ignore the knowing smirk on Serena's face as she read the same message on her own phone. It seemed Serena always had that knowing smirk when Alex was the topic of conversation. Olivia didn't know what to make of that, or if she even wanted to make anything of it.

"Told you, " Serena slipped her phone back into her pocket, "Here you were about to get your feelings hurt wondering why Alex hadn't contacted you, when she's probably wondering why you didn't respond."

Olivia struggled to keep her chin from dropping, as both Serena and now Elliott awaited a response. Before she could formulate something biting to throw back at Serena, she had bounced up from her chair heading towards the television monitor that was muted at the other end of the bull-pen.

"Speak of the devil and she appears on CNN," Serena said turning up the volume to hear the report.

Olivia, Elliott, Munch, and Fin moved to the television as well, eager to hear why Alex was making national news. The tag line at the bottom of the screen read "Task Force Successful," as the shot showed Alex Cabot, another woman, and a man exiting an airplane flanked by heavy security. The group listened intently as Serena finally increased the volume enough to hear.

"Members of the task force exiting the plane now include two former CIA operatives who have not been named, and former New York Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Cabot who will prosecute the soon-to-be extradited offender in federal court. No information has been provided at this time regarding the beginning of the court proceedings, which will take place here in New York City where Malvoy kidnapped his victims under the direction of high ranking military officials out of the Congo."

"Damn she did it!" Serena enthusiastically ignored the rest of the reporter's dialog as she again retrieved her phone from her jacket pocket. "I have to call her and tell her she's on CNN right now." She received a quadruple eye-roll from her detectives who continued to be surprised by the moments of excitement and playfulness their new ADA was not reputed to have.

Olivia ignored the chatter coming from Serena as she dialed Alex, knowing that she would most likely not be able to answer, and turned her attention back to the screen, her first glimpse of Alex in months. Her hair was pulled back away from her face, and appeared to be shorter than Olivia remembered. Large sunglasses covered her eyes, and what could be seen of her body was clad in a dark leather jacket much like Olivia's and dark jeans. Olivia found herself thinking she was surprised at the absence of a suit, when she noticed Alex stop on her decent from the plane and reach in the large leather bag slung over her shoulder.

"_Alex Cabot"_ They all heard in Serena's ear as they saw the figure on screen move her phone to her ear.

"That bag looks heavy. You should let that handsome man in front of you carry it," Serena watched the screen for a reaction, and grinned as Alex glanced at what she assumed was a crowd of people on the runway.

"_You know he's not my type. Where are you?"_

"I'm at the 1-6 with all your favorite detectives. You're on CNN babe." Serena told her, and laughed as Alex seemed to notice the cameras for the first time.

"_How's my hair?"_

"Looks good," came the reply as the rest of the detectives continued to watch as Alex talked and walked towards the awaiting cameras. "Will you be giving an interview, or can we wait and hear it directly from you?"

"_No. Not today. There isn't much to tell right now anyway. Malvoy is being extradited as we speak so I need to get straight to the federal courthouse and start setting up the arraignment hearing."_

"There's talk of celebrating your return this weekend. Party in or party out? Your choice."

"_I could do both," _Alex stated as they watched the security guards usher her passed the cameras.

"I take it you're in the mood to party," Serena arched her eyebrows at the amused detectives who had turned from the television when Alex's figure left it.

"_I'm happy to be home. I need to get off here though. They have a car waiting and I need to get my bag. I'll call you later."_

"I'm actually surprised you answered in the first place. Be careful." It had become Serena's automated conversation ender for Alex, as she seemed to be in possible danger quite frequently.

"_I will. Tell Liv I said hi. She didn't respond to my text."_

"She just got it five minutes ago, but I'll tell her. Bye." Serena's knowing smirk was back for Olivia's benefit. "Told you so," was all she had to say as the phone once again went into her pocket.

"So what did she have to say?" Fin asked as he muted the television set again. "She can't wait to see me, right?"

"_Right!"_ Serena laughed, still watching Olivia out of the corner of her eye, an action that was visibly annoying the detective who stood with her arms crossed over her chest. "No, I'm sure she can't wait to see everyone. She said she's happy to be home and in the mood to celebrate. Any suggestions?"

"It depends on who's doing the celebrating," Fin told her. "Our girl has quite a few connections."

Serena shrugged her shoulders, as if not really caring about the attendance. "I don't know. Present company of course, Cragan. Liz Donelly mentioned something, so probably her and Petrovsky. Whatever hot dates you guys might want to bring and maybe a few people from the DA's office."

"Speaking of," Olivia gave Serena a smirk of her own at what she was about to say. She was curious to see the reaction given. "I got an email from Abbie Carmichael earlier this week. She's guest lecturing some law courses at NYU. Maybe I should give her a call?"

If Serena's breath caught, it was unperceivable to anyone except Olivia, who was watching for it. After Serena's dismissal from the DA's office where she openly stated her sexual preferences in front of several people, Abbie confided in Olivia that she and Serena had a brief "fling" before her move to D.C. Knowing Abbie and her tendency to have "flings" rather than relationships; Olivia was not greatly amused at the time. However, seeing Serena's reactions to the mere mention of her name, and considering Serena's habit of constant teasing, Olivia relished her knowledge of that little rendezvous.

"That's a good idea. We haven't seen her in years." Serena dropped Olivia's gaze as she followed the other detectives who made their way back to their internet activities.

"Well, I guess I've got an evening to plan. Everybody free Friday?" Mumbles of agreement came from Olivia, Munch, and Fin. "Elliott?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll have to bribe one of my children heavily to babysit, but Kathy will want to come too." If Olivia knew her partner, the look of concentration meant he was trying to remember if the Mets played that night.

"I'll talk to Alex and be in touch," with that she turned to leave the precinct leaving her vacated chair in the wrong place, knowing that Elliot would be annoyed at having to move it. The thought made Olivia smile.

**Chapter 2:**

Alex heaved a sigh that was nearly a groan as she rode in the cab taking her from the courthouse to her apartment, that promised to be stuffy and dusty with her being gone for three months, despite her asking her super to let fresh air in occasionally.

It was well after 7:00. She had been awake over twenty hours with the time difference and it had been a very long day, and going to be longer judging by the traffic the cab driver was currently cursing. Stopping herself before sighing again and likely annoying the driver more, Alex removed her forgotten phone from her purse. She had ignored the constant buzzing since her conversation with Serena that morning, attempting to stay focused on the upcoming trial of her first international defendant. It had been an overwhelming, slightly scary, and thrilling day all in one.

Having not ridden in a New York City cab in some time, she was startled by the extreme jerking movement and cursing as the driver attempted to dart into a faster moving lane of traffic. Reminding herself that she was home, for a month or so anyway, Alex smiled and went to scrolling through her missed texts and emails, hoping to find one from her favorite New York City detective. Serena had correctly assumed earlier that she would wonder why Olivia didn't respond.

She gawked slightly at the 32 messages needing to be read, but found only one that required her immediate attention.  
_Can't wait to see u. _

Alex grinned at the message, and wondered if Olivia knew just how much the words would mean to her. She couldn't. Not really. She had never told anyone except Serena how she felt about the detective, never even considering that Olivia might have a slight girl crush on her too, until right before her departure for Africa. By then, it was too late to gather more evidence, and there was so little of it in the first place.

_Too bad I'm stuck in midtown traffic,_ was the response she typed back. She began to look through other messages as she waited to see if Olivia would respond.

_Too bad. Serena is planning to party and after-party for the weekend. _

Yes she is, Alex thought as she read the text. Serena sent her a message as well during the day. Dinner and drinks at a bar in the Village, followed by more drinks on the rooftop of her building. The later only being attended by a select few.

_Ur coming right?_

Alex knew the answer already, but the first rule she learned of being a lawyer was to only ask questions when she already knew the answer. She grinned, having very quickly forgotten the hectic traffic as the immediate response came.

_Of course. Wouldn't miss it. I forbid Cragen to put me on-call Sat. _

Alex supposed she should continue the banter. Clearly she wouldn't be out of the cab anytime soon.

_So I get u all night then?_

Was it too much? Probably.

_If u can hang with me that long._

Enjoying herself, Alex leaned back into the car seat. If Olivia was anything, she was competitive. This could get interesting.

_U would be surprised at my stamina detective. _

_Be prepared for me to test it counselor. _

Alex was prepared to ask Olivia just what her test would involve, when she heard the cab driver speaking to her.

"Miss! We're a block away. I'll have to double park to let you out." His rough faced glanced at her in the rearview mirror before returning to the street in front of him.

"Thanks," Alex said absently, clearing the message she intended to send.

_Pulling up to my apt. I can't wait to fall into bed._

_Sleep tight. I'll see you soon. _

_Can't wait. Goodnight Liv_.

Alex practically pranced to the front of the cab after retrieving her not-so-Alex-Cabot-like rugged duffel and leather messenger bag. She tossed some bills at the cab driver without concern for the extremely large tip. She barely registered his shout of thanks as she scurried up the steps to her building so that she could reread Olivia's texts in the privacy of her apartment.

**Chapter 3:**

The precinct was blissfully not busy for a Tuesday morning as Olivia sipped her way through a second cup of coffee. While the tedium of paperwork had nearly driven her mad the day before, she was thankful for today's freedom to be distracted. She'd had time to read through Alex's flirty text messages three times and it was only 8:30. In the moment, as the texts flew back and forth, she had difficulty discerning the tone of the messages. Were they playful, sarcastic, flirty, what? After careful perusal and consideration, she'd settled on definitely flirty. Alex Cabot had flirted with her, and the thought kept her from noticing her partner notice the goofy smile on her face as she returned to her desk.

"You're awfully chipper this morning," she spared him a glance as he watched her, pen twirling easily between his fingers.

"Fin made the coffee," she replied dryly as she turned her attention her computer, unable to remember the name of the file she needed.

"Right. Coffee makes you grin like an idiot." Olivia tried not to let her annoyance show as he continued to watch, and continued to twirl that damn pen between his fingers. His "knowing" looks were as bad as Serena's and the pen twirling had begun to annoy her so much as of recently she wanted to shove the thing up his nose.

"You've been playing with your personal phone too. You hardly look at that thing during the day. Got some racy pictures on there?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" This time she didn't bother to look up at him. It would only fuel his amusement.

"I probably would if there's some of our former ADA wearing nothing but her glasses."

"Fuck off, Stabler!" Elliott let out a peel of amused laughter, causing several heads to turn in their direction.

"If you two wouldn't mind taking a break with the antics for a moment," both detectives managed to look sheepish as their captain suddenly appeared, "I need you in my office now. Same for you two, " he pointed towards Munch and Fin.

"Thanks children," Fin said as the four followed closely behind Cragen, who didn't allow them to see his quick smile. He had to admit, even if just to himself, he had a very entertaining group to babysit.

"Shut the door and sit down," he ordered, taking a seat behind his own desk. The four detectives obeyed silently, Munch and Fin moving to occupy the two visitors' chairs in front of the desk, while Elliott and Olivia seated themselves on the couch.

"Have we caught a new case?" Olivia asked expectantly.

"Something like that," Cragen answered as he eyed his detectives. They had been bored senseless and nearly driving him insane for the last few days. "I just got a call from a newly appointed Assistant US Attorney. It seems that string of unsolved kidnappings slash possible rapes we looked into last year may be related to a case they're getting ready to try in federal court. They're asking for our cooperation with pulling records."

"Would this newly appointed US Attorney happen to be Alex Cabot?" Munch asked, "Are you telling us the perp in those cases may have been Jean Malvoy?"

"I'm saying it's possible," Cragen replied. "The pattern is similar to that of the confirmed victims. Someone with the Feds ran the details through ViCAP and our John Doe perp came up as a match. This case is now out of our jurisdiction, but I promised Alex our cooperation."

"So we need to pull records?" Olivia tried not to sound too eager about the prospect of working with her super-mega-crush.

"Yes, and pull them quickly," Cragen glanced at his notes from the conversation. "Alex will be here around 10:00 to start going through everything. My guess is they want to tie up our end as soon as possible. Southerlyn will take point for the DA's office so she'll be in as well. "

"She wasn't ADA at the time though," Elliott stated.

"Do you remember who our ADA was at the time?" Fin asked pointedly.

When no one could think of the answer, Cragen continued.

"Exactly. It's much safer for us if Serena handles it, rather than calling in someone else. Go pull everything you can, and we'll meet in the conference room at 10:00. Make sure you keep it organized too!"

With the last order being given, the four detectives divided the record scavenging amongst themselves, with Elliott and Fin heading to the archives room for paper reports, and Olivia and Munch manning the electronic files.

At 9:50, just ten minutes before the set meeting, the male detectives piled boxes and folders on the conference room table while Olivia went in search of a fresh pot of coffee.

She had just poured it in a thermal carafe and was making her way towards the conference room with the coffee and a stack of disposable coffee cups in her hand when she nearly collided with Serena in the narrow hallway.

"Easy there Southerlyn! I don't really have time for third degree burns today." Olivia told her with a playful shove of her shoulder.

"Yeah, that might cut into your ogling time, set to start in about eight minutes!" Olivia was slightly taken aback by the lack of playfulness in the attorney's voice. Usually Serena's jabs were only bitchy when they screwed up and made her job harder.

"Sounds like you need coffee," Olivia stated, pouring them both a cup as they took seats around the large conference table. "What's with the grumpiness? This is a huge federal case. It's already made national news. One would think you would be excited to be a part of it."

If Serena noticed the curious looks from the men in the room, she chose to ignore them as she said a brief "Thanks," and sipped her coffee.

"I know you know about what happened when I first started at the DA's office, so I might as well tell you," Serena almost whispered leaning into Olivia conspiratorialy. "Guess who Alex has sitting second chair on this thing."

"Abbie Carmichael!" Before Olivia could even venture the guess herself, Fin was across the room greeting the woman with a hug.

"What are you doing here?" Elliott had moved to offer a one-armed hug as well, oblivious to the women seated at the table.

"I convinced my boss to let me sit second to Cabot on this case. I figured since I was already in town, what the heck, right?"

If Olivia could have seen the grin on her face at that moment, she might have described it as impish. As Serena was the target, she considered it devilish.

**Chapter Four:**

When Alex silently entered the conference room, her gaze went directly to the mischievously sexy grin on Olivia's face. She couldn't help the twinge of jealously at the smile being aimed at Serena.

She finally noted Olivia's attention on her when the rest of the detectives began talking to her and Abbie at once, offering warm congratulations and hugs from the usually stoic men.

Offering what she hoped was a sexy wink in lieu of the excessive PDA she wanted to display towards the detective, Alex purposefully took the seat directly across the table from her. She could hardly contain a huge smile when she felt a foot briefly stroke her stocking covered calf. She barely registered Abbie sitting next to her, directly across from Serena.

"Cabot"

"Benson."

"Southerlyn."

"Cabot."

"Benson."

"Carmichael."

"Southerlyn."

"Carmichael."

"Well ladies, now that we've established that you remember each other's last names, how about we get started with this?" Cragen said as he entered the room. With the females seated at the middle of the table, the men flanked them on the ends.

"Ok Alex," he began, "I've told them everything you told me. Could you give us a little more background and maybe we can tell you exactly where you need to start with our records."

"Right," Alex began as she removed her laptop and a legal pad from her bag and sat them on the table. "I can't go into all the details that led us here, but let's just say my position on this task force was more attorney and less volunteer than initially anticipated. The victims in question weren't just native African women, but also several American women believed to be kidnapped and held captive there. There has been an initiative by the US government and by the UN to investigate human trafficking from the US into these foreign countries, where people can literally disappear." She paused briefly to slip on her glasses and had the satisfaction of seeing Olivia unconsciously lick her lips. "Long story short, our investigation led us to Jean Malvoy and the recovery of four American women being held captive. Malvoy sold them to some of the country's elite for a massive profit. With the pressure laid by the UN, the government agreed to let us bring the women home, and also to extradite Malvoy for his crimes against them."

"These women were sex slaves?" Elliott asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"Yes." Alex answered simply.

"Are any of them our victims?" he continued, wondering how this story related to their cold case.

"No. However, each of the women we found alive reported that he raped them while still in this country. The details match your cases, especially that of the girl who was found alive. She died, correct?"

"Three days after she was found," Olivia confirmed. "She was only conscious long enough to do a brief interview. Do you think the rest are in Africa, Alex?"

"My guess would be they were taken there at some point. Eight of our eleven known victims have been confirmed dead through the course of the investigation. It's very likely the rest are as well, if he did take them. We will have our operatives try to find them, but the numbers don't look good."

"All you can do is try," Olivia mumbled, toying with the edge of her own legal pad. Alex could sense her frustration and anger from across the table. She mentally chastised herself for finding it sexy.

"So, where would you like to start?" Cragen asked again, anxious to get the sad looks replaced with ones of determination. There was no time for sadness on the clock.

"Why don't you give me and Abbie some time to sift through this, and we'll call you back as needed. I'm sure you have live cases to worry about right now, but we really appreciate the time."

"Of course," Cragen paused to pat her shoulder as he headed for the exit. "And we'll appreciate putting these cases to rest. Let me know if you need anything." Munch, Fin, and Elliott grunted in agreement before following him out the door. Olivia rose to go as well, but not before catching Alex's eye and motioning towards the exit with her head. She stood to follow.

"Stay," she pointed at Serena who had packed her things to leave. "Bathroom break." She said to Abbie, and then slipped out the door. She pulled it closed behind her and found herself walking straight into the arms of her favorite detective.

She couldn't stop the sigh of reluctance that escaped as Olivia started to pull away. She did however manage to stop the sigh of pleasure as a strong hand cupped the back of her neck.

"I had to get that out of my system."

Her mind screamed at her to say something, but all her mouth managed was a raspy "Okay."

She didn't even register that Olivia had stepped away until she said "I'll let you get to your bathroom break," and sauntered, yes sauntered very cockily down the hallway.

_Good job Alex. Of all the times for you to lose your wonderful linguistic capabilities, it had to be just now!_

**Chapter 6:**

Serena sat slowly back down in her chair and tried not to be thoroughly pissed at Alex for barking a one-word order at her as she disappeared out the door. After all, it was something she would do herself if the situation warranted, and maybe even if it didn't.

She felt rather than saw the brown eyes gazing at her from across the table since she was staring intensely at her folded hands. She had to admit Abbie had a certain power there. Even when perfectly still and quiet, her presence was known.

"Miss me?" she finally raised her own eyes to meet those staring at her, and was quite proud she suppressed the jolt over the very sexual look she found there.

"No?" she stated with rising intonation, hoping to convey to Abbie she didn't understand the point of the question.

"No?" The flirtatious tone was still there. _Damn it._

"No." she stated more decidedly. _I wonder how many conversational turns we can have with this single word._

"Well I guess absence doesn't make the heart grow fonder after all." The tone was gone, and Serena thought for a second the woman seated across from her may have sounded hurt. Yeah right.

"I guess it doesn't. I can honestly say I haven't sat around pining for you since you moved to D.C. and I bet you can say the same for me." She knew she was being cold, but starting something reckless with the attractive Abbie Carmichael and her commitment issues was simply not in the cards. When Abbie merely raised her eyebrows in response, she assumed the conversation was over. She fought not to tap her nails on the table as they waited in silence for Alex to return.

"You were the one who ended things between us Serena, not me. You don't have to be so rude." Abbie said finally, looking her square in the eyes. It made Serena want to squirm a little because she did have a point. She had a tendency to lash out when someone made her squirm, and now was not going to be an exception.

"I wasn't interested in a long distance fuck-buddy," she kept her voice intentionally low as she met those eyes again. She saw the flash of anger there and didn't know whether to be please, turned-on, or scared.

"Oh, come on now." Abbie's voice was decidedly too sweet. she kept her voice intentionally low as she met those eyes again. She saw the flash of anger there and didn't know whether to be please, turned-on, or scared.

"Oh, come on now." Abbie's voice was decidedly too sweet. _Yep, might need to be scared Southerlyn._ "Fuck-buddies is a little harsh. I was at least a friend-with-benefits don't you think?"

"I wouldn't know. I'm not as familiar with the different definitions for non-committed relationships as you." It was harsh, but it was the truth. She should have known better than to get involved with Abbie at the time, but the sex was really good.

"You know what," Serena unconsciously leaned back in her chair as Abbie leaned forward, almost like a snake ready to strike.

"Never mind." Serena's eyebrows shot straight to her hair line. Abbie Carmichael had just backed down from an impending stellar argument. She was tempted to look and see if the ground was starting to freeze. "This case is too important. I'm not going to argue with you about ancient history. Like you said, we never declared ourselves in a relationship anyway."

She had a retort on the tip of her tongue, one that would remind Abbie just exactly why they never made that declaration. But again, she was right. This case was the case of a career and even though it wasn't exactly her case to win, she was still part of it. So, she bit off her retort and simply nodded in agreement. She was about to change the subject to one of the documents in front of her, when a series of beeps broke the silence between them.

"That's my phone alarm," Abbie explained as she pulled the device from her pocket to silence it. "I have a lecture to give in an hour." Serena watched in silence as she rose to replace her suit jacket and gather what was actually a very cute monogrammed tote bag.

"Tell Alex I'll call her when I finish."

"Okay. Good luck with the lecture." And with that, Abbie was out the door. Serena finally let her face fall to her hands and groaned.

**Chapter Seven:**

Abbie plastered her best I'm smiling even though I'm pissed smile on her face as she made her way through the squad room.

"Where you headed in such a hurry, Carmichael?" Elliott shouted to her without taking his eyes off his computer screen. "Stay and entertain us for a bit."

"No can do, Detective." She told him, hoping to escape quickly. "I'm off to enlighten the young legal minds at NYU."

"Now there's a scary thought!"

"Shove it, Stabler." She said before she could stop herself. She immediately felt guilty for causing the confused look on his face, and those of Olivia, Munch, and Fin who were now in her peripheral vision wearing similar expressions.

"I'm sorry. Lack of sleep, and lack of caffeine. I'm just a little cranky today." She walked over and rubbed a hand across his shoulder hoping it would convey her lack of anger towards him. No, her anger at the moment was reserved for their snarky little ADA, and damn if she hadn't wanted to kiss her brains out anyway.

"No problem. We all have those days." She was brought back to reality when she felt him pat her hand. "It goes with the jobs."

"Do you have dinner plans tonight, Abbie?" She looked at Olivia reluctantly. She could tell from the set of her jaw that she had seen right through her sleep/caffeine line.

"No, I don't. Why don't you give me a call when your shift is done? I really have to get going though, or I'm going to be late. Stay safe, detectives." With that, she made her way to the squad room doors and waved at the chorus of "good-byes" in their various forms that followed her.

It wasn't until she reached the street that she let the anger bubble up through the collar of her shirt. Really? _Really? _Where did Serena get off? The one person she had seriously considered making a commitment to since she was twenty-two years old had called her a "fuck-buddy" _too her face!_

She crossed her arms and huffed out a breath as she tapped her foot on the concrete. She could feel herself becoming Crazy Angry Abbie and that was just not productive. She gave one more go at a frustrated sigh before stepping to the curb to hail a cab. A Yellow Cab pulled to a stop immediately and she gave her destination before even being fully inside.

Normally, she tried to make conversation with her cab drivers as she tended to get bored when sitting in traffic. But today, well today was not that day. If she wanted to be completely honest with herself, she might admit that Serena had a shadow of a point. She did have a reputation, and it was of her own making, but Serena was supposed to be different. She had taken her out to dinner before sleeping with her, and more than once for Christ's sake. Maybe Serena wasn't up on "non-committed relationship terms" as she had phrased it, but you don't fall asleep in the arms of your fuck-buddy. You don't talk well into the early morning about tough cases. You don't spend your lunch break people-watching together in Central Park, and you sure as hell don't consider giving up a career as a federal prosecutor.

But Abbie had. She had seriously considered staying in New York when Serena put the brakes on whatever they had, stating they shouldn't postpone the inevitable. She was amicable enough at the time considering her behavior today, but her mind was set so Abbie never told her any of the rest of it. Maybe in hindsight that would have been smarter than running off to Washington and considering Serena her one that got away. Yeah, her stay in New York was looking very promising.


End file.
